Improvement in water-wheels



2 Sheets-Sheet I. N. G. ROBERTS.

Water-Wheels. N0, 140,544 I PatentedJuIy1,1873.

V 2 Shets--Sheet2. N. C. BUBERTS.

W ate r- W h e e l s.

Patented July 1, I873.

WITNESSES Fig.4. INVENTOR.

M77 5 MM flw' r r I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NORMAN U. ROBERTS, OF WATERVILLE, NE? YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WHEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 140,544, dated July 1,1873; application filed April 12, 1873.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, NORMAN G. RoBERTs, of Waterville, in the county ofOneida and State of New York, have invented a new and valuableImprovement in Tater-Wheels and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the construction andoperation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawingsmaking a part of this specification and to the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon.

Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings are representations of plan views of mywater-wheel. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the same. Fig. 4 is a sideview.

This invention has relation to certain improvements in turbines,consisting, first, in the construction and novel arrangement of thewheel and curb or fore-bay, so that the wheel can be placed either sideupward, constituting it an under-draft or over-draft wheel, as may bedesired; second, in the construction and arrangement of the concave ordishshaped water-guide, in contact with the inner or scroll wall, andhaving its peripheral flange inclined upward and outward toward theouter wall, and extending somewhat higher than its upper edge; third, inthe arrangement of the opening in the center of said water-guide, and ofthe removable shouldered step in connection therewith, said openinghaving a greater diameter than that of the wheel-shaft fourth, inconnection with the conical flange of the waterguide in the constructionof the buckets having curved lateral walls upwardly and inwardlyinclined, and the parallel upper and lower walls upwardly and outwardlyinclined at an angle corresponding to the angle of the said flange ofthe water-guide; and, fifth, in

the vertical cylindrical gate-wall having arms connected with theoperating-shaft journaled at one side of the spout, said gate beingreceived in a horizontally-curved recess in the opposite wall of thespout.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated this invention by meansof a wheel discharging its water outwardly, but the same principles canbe applied in the construction of an inwardly-discharging wheel andforebay.

1n the drawings, the letter A designates the shoulder, Z.

spout; B indicates the outer or circular wall of the fore-bay; and O,the inner or scroll wall, which gradually approaches the outer wall,terminating at the point a when it joins its first portion. The bottom Dof the forebay gradually rises from its level at the spout until itterminates at the point I) of the outer wall, a free edge, 0, extendingfrom the point a to the point 1) extending obliquely upward and outward,as the upper edge (I of the wall 0 is below the upper edge e of the wallB. E designates the top or upper water-guide of the fore-bay. Thisconsists of a circular diskshaped or concave plate, being level in itscentral portion, and rising at its circumference in the form of aconical flange, F, which extends upward and outward, terminating in afree circular edge, 9, somewhat within and above the level of the edge eof the wall B. An opening, h, somewhat larger in diameter than the shaftof the wheel is made centrally through the plate E, and serves for thepassage of the shaft when the wheel is reversed in position, or forcentering the step 70 when the wheel is arranged as indicated in thedrawings. The step 70 is provided with a flange or When the wheel isreversed, making it an under-draft wheel, it is stepped by the use of anindependent spider, on which the step 70 may be mounted. The wheel Gconsists of an upper plate, H, through the center of which passes theshaft m, and a lower plate, I, annular in form, and connected to saidupper plate by the curved walls a of the buckets. The upper plate G iscircular, and its surfaces have a double curvature, being convexcentrally at a", this convex surface gradually becoming concave near theperiphery, and forming the upper walls 8 of the buckets u. The lowerwalls o of said buckets are formed by the annular plate I, which has theform of the circumscribing sur face of an inverted frustum of a cone,flaring upward and outward parallel with that portion of the plate Gwhich forms the tops of the buckets. The lateral wallswof the bucketsare formed by curved partitions, which are in clined inward and upward,being at right angles, or nearly so, with the top and bottom walls ofthe buckets. The lower circumference of the wheel is provided with alip,

which fits over the upper edge of the outer wall of the fore-bay; andthe plate E is provided on its under side with lugs a or other deviceswhereby it is kept in position on the inner or scroll wall of thefore-bay. Connectin g-bolts I) extend through lugs c of the scrollwalland through the plate E, and the parts are secured by the nuts d. Thetop of the spout A may be secured by bolts. The side walls K K arerecessed at L L, respectively, for the reception of the operating-shaftN and the gate T, which are connected by the sectorshaped arms U. Thesearms are plane plates of little thickness, and they move in flat angular recesses, e, in the top and bottom walls of the spout. The gatehas the form of a part of cylinder, having its axis coinciding with theaxis of the operating-rod. The curved plate of the gate is thin, but issufliciently strengthened by its connection with the wide ends of thesector-shaped arms, the circular end of the gate being conjoined withthe arc of the sector arms throughout its length. YVater enteringthrough the spout when the gate is open will not be obstructed by thegate, its operating-shaft, or the connectingarms. Entering the fore-bayit will be guided upward and outward through the continuous opening h,between the plate E and the edge of the outer wall of the fore-bay,directly into the mouths of the buckets, from which it will bedischarged at their outside or circumferential openings. The pressure ofthe water is kept even by the gradual taper of the forebay, so that asthe volume is lessened by the discharge through the buckets the head iskept uniform throughout the opening h.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- 1. Theconcave or dish-shaped water-guide E having the peripheral portion Finclined to correspond with the angle of the bucket of the wheel securedon the inner wall, and extending outward, leaving a continuous opening,it, between its outer edge and the edge of the outer wall, substantiallyas specified.

2. The combination, with the water-guide E having a central opening, h,larger in diameter than the shaft m, of the shaft and the removableshouldered step k, substantially as specified.

3. The wheel, consisting of the upper plate H having the convex centerand the annular concavity near its circumference merging into theinclined edge 8, the lower conical annular plate I parallel with thepart 8 of the upper plate and the upwardly and inwardly inclined curvedpartitions at, substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with the concave waterguide E having a free edge, 9,of the wheel having the buckets inclined at an angle corresponding tothe angle of the water-guide, and the fore-bay having a rising helicalbottom, an inner scroll-shaped wall, and an outer circular wall ofdifferent heights, substantially as specified.

5. The gate, consisting of the shaft N, the cylinder-plate T, and thesector-shaped arms U, substantially as specified.

6. The combination of a gate having arms extending from theoperating-shaft across the spout to the closing plate T, with the spoutrecessed in its top and bottom and in each side, substantially asspecified.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

NORMAN C. ROBERTS.

Witnesses:

Gno. L. BUCKINGHAM, HENRY WALsH.

